Documented Immigrants Are Trump's Next Target

Documented Immigrants Seeking Citizenship Are Trump's Next Target

The Trump administration will soon introduce a new proposal making it more difficult for documented immigrants to obtain citizenship or permanent residency if they or members of their household ever used public welfare programs, NBC News reported.

Per the administration's proposal, people who immigrate legally could be denied citizenship or a green card if they or members of their household ever used the the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare; supplemental nutrition assistance, better known as SNAP; children’s health insurance (CHIP); or other social programs. (We should note here that not signing up for Obamacare and being without healthcare would have resulted in a penalty for these immigrants.)

According to NBC News, more than 20 million immigrants could be impacted by the plan. Advocates estimated that the proposal could affect even immigrant households that earn as much as 250% of the poverty level.

Legal immigration has already gone down under Trump. According to data from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), there will be a 20% decline in green cards granted to immigrants and a 10% decrease in the number of naturalized citizens by the end of this fiscal year compared to fiscal year 2016, the last one under the Obama administration.

Though President Trump loves to make a show out of calling for Congress to "fix" the immigration system, the new proposal doesn't need congressional approval.

It's not about keeping people from "shithole countries" out of the U.S. based on their race and ethnicity or to keep the nation white, they argue. It's about making sure immigrants do things "the right way."